ChapterFour
Carla
I watch them lead Asher back to the holding cell and walk over to his family to give them the quick and dirty synopsis of what is taking place. I feel like I’m in the redwood forest with all these tall-ass men surrounding me. Peter is there as well; we shake hands and I embrace his wife Lennox.
“Peter, Lennox. I wish I was seeing you under different circumstances, but it is what it is. So, Asher has been charged with first-degree murder of Antonia Lattimore. His arraignment hearing is in the morning, he asked me to let him explain what is going on with you himself. Please don’t ask me more. I am bound by attorney-client privilege so without his permission, I can’t say more even if I wanted to. Now, which one of you is Anson.” Another huge brother steps forward.
“I am,” he says and I take a step back. He is intimidating as hell. Where Asher is all smooth edges this one is jagged rocks.
“Asher is asking you to provide me with a suit for his arraignment tomorrow. If you could have it here along with undergarments, toiletries, shoes, and all the accessories in the morning I’d appreciate it. I am asking you to do the same thing I am telling Asher to do and that is not say anything to anyone about this. No talking about this anywhere you can be overheard. If everything goes well tomorrow Asher will be able to explain to you himself what is happening and we can all talk about it as much as you want,” I tell them and I can tell they have a million questions, but they don’t ask, and we walk out of the station together.
“Mr. Gideon you have been charged with the manslaughter of Antonia Lattimore.” Manslaughter? I think after the judge announces the charges. What happened to first degree murder? “It seems like you already have representation, is that correct.”
“Yes, your Honor, my lawyer Ms. St. Claire is present.”
“How do you plead?”
“Not Guilty your Honor.”
“Please document the not guilty plea for the records.”
“Ms. St. Claire, will you be requesting bail for Mr. Gideon?”
“Yes, your honor. We are asking for Mr. Gideon to be released on his own recognizance. He is a prominent member of society and a business owner as well. Mr. Gideon has strong ties and family in this community.”
“Your honor Mr. Gideon has an endless supply of money and resources making it easy for him to leave town if he chooses to do so. We ask that he remain in police custody.” The defense rebuts.
“Your Honor, Mr. Gideon could have already left the state, but he’s been easy to locate, he came to the station before he was officially arrested to answer questions and has consistently made himself available and cooperative.”
“Alright, I have heard enough. Bail will be set for two hundred and fifty million dollars. Mr. Gideon, you will also have an ankle GPS monitor placed on your person as well. You will not be remanded within your home; however, you will not be able to leave the state of Mississippi.”
I look over to Asher who didn’t blink at the amount of bail but reacted to the GPS tracker.
“Mr. Gideon your preliminary hearing and a grand jury court date will be set for three weeks from today. Is that an acceptable time for the defense and prosecution?”
“Yes, your Honor,” we say in unison.
“We will see everyone back here in three weeks.” With that he banged his gavel, and we all stand as he walks out of the courtroom. The bailiff comes over, puts the handcuffs back on Asher, and starts to escort him out.
“I will be there when you are released,” I tell him. He gives me a tight nod and looks towards his family in the back as he walks out of the room. Even after spending the night in prison, he is easily the sexiest, most devastatingly handsome man I have ever seen. That suit and his hair hanging loose around his shoulders—he looked like he was getting ready for a photoshoot, not coming to court. That man will have me contemplating a career change, like going from top lawyer to stay-at-home wife and mother! As big as he is, his child would be born graduating from the sixth grade, and I am too short for that shit. I grab my belongings and head to where his family is.
“I have already begun the process of posting bail for him,” Peter tells me.
“Great, it could take a few hours for his bail to post and another hour or so for them to put the monitor on him. Maybe you guys should go grab lunch while we wait.”
“And where will you be?” The biggest brother of them all asks.
“I will be here waiting. I told him I would be here when they finally released him. I know you want to wait here too but I promise as soon as I get word, I will call Peter and let him know.”
“Please call me,” he says as he hands me a card. I glance at the card. Aww yes, this is Joshua, the oldest brother. I nod my agreement and they finally leave, probably to go to one of the many restaurants that are nearby. I find a quiet corner of the courthouse to sit and do some work while I wait for word.
Almost three hours later Asher and I are heading to his home. He hasn’t said one word since he walked out the courthouse after he was released. When we got to the sidewalk where his brothers were waiting for us, his brother, Joshua, took one look at him and pulled him into a hug. It was obvious they both needed this, but once they released each other he barked for all of us to get moving. So that’s how I ended up in a car caravan headed to their home. I didn’t realize they all lived together, and I admit I am curious to see a house that could fit all of these supersized men and their wives and families. We make a turn onto a driveway but there is no house, and we continue traveling down this long-ass road, I swear this driveway is three miles long. Once the house comes into view my mouth literally drops open. House is such an inadequate description of the mansion I am looking at. It is huge! Multiple levels and sections and an adult playground most men would cry over. I park in front of the door that has to be twelve feet tall. Before I could open my car door, somehow, Asher has gotten out and made it to my side to help me out of my car. When I touch his hand, I slip and almost fall making it necessary for him to grab me and I think my whole nervous system is trying to shut down. Once he has me settled on my feet and my legs have solidified again, he closes my car door, places a hand on the small of my back, and guides me to the house. If I was impressed with the outside, the inside was absolutely ridiculously stunning; my eyes couldn’t decide where to begin.
“Alright, Asher get to talking!” Joshua says when he strides through the door and into the living room with his wife’s hand firmly in his.
“Baby, maybe he can tell us tomorrow, he spent the night in jail and the morning in court.”
I hear and feel Asher take a deep breath before he follows him into the living room with me right next to him.